


Dear Reader

by hyirule



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cannon compliant, M/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, i don't know what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27039259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyirule/pseuds/hyirule
Summary: No one seems to read the paper anymore. But Oikawa likes to for the sports section. One day he finds himself reading a section called "Dear Reader" and finds a submission he can relate to.Basically messages sent through a page on a newspaper brings to unlikely souls together, who maybe have more in common than they first thought.
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru & Sugawara Koushi, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 100





	Dear Reader

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea that came to me when I was at work. It wasn't meant to become whatever it has. Not beta read, been a while since I've actually written anything so it's probably rough around the edges.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

It felt like no one read the paper anymore, everything was so easy to find with the clock of a button. It made newspapers almost obsolete but it was still delivered every day.

Oikawa would read the paper after school, mostly reading through the sports pages absorbing everything he could about volleyball. Strategies teams were using, what upcoming stars to look out for and any little details he could lock in his mind. Although he had no serious plans of pursuing professional volleyball in Japan he wanted to know everything he could. Going to Argentina was always dancing at the edge of his mind ready to pursue his dreams.

All of those dreams would be realized after defeating Karasuno and Shiratorizawa to qualify for nationals. To stand on that stage and show what he could do.

He caught himself from daydreaming about the look of defeat he so badly wanted to see on Tobio and Ushijima’s faces. He continued flipping through the paper and found himself on a page titled Dear Reader. He skimmed through different stories that people had submitted, missed connections, lonely hearts, good deeds that people were recounting. One particular submission held his attention as he read it multiple times.

“Dear reader,  
I’m not quite sure what to do with myself these days. I’m in my last year of high school, my grades are good and I’ve been putting in my college applications well before the deadlines. But there’s one thing still bothering me. I’ve been replaced by an underclassman in my club. I’ve put in so much work and however much I practice I’ll never be as good as him. I tell myself not to be jealous but it’s hard to not feel like I’m falling behind, watching all my friends do incredible things. I want to join them and make an impact. I just don’t know if I’ll get the chance. Where do I go from here?  
K”

Oikawa felt a tug on his heartstrings. He only briefly knew the feeling of being replaced in middle school. Being pulled from the match to be replaced by Tobio had stayed with him. He had worked himself to the bone to never feel likhe could be replaced again. Only when he injured his knee could he accept being replaced. He grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped out the submission. He wanted to keep it and to find a way to respond to the writer.

Analyzing the page he found the submission information and scribbled it down. It probably wouldn’t do anything but he would write in a submission and maybe this K would see his response.

Going up to his room he began to think of a response. If he were still in that situation what would he have done? What advice would have helped him. He opened up the submission page and began to type.

“Dear K,  
You may read this or you may not. Throwing your thoughts into existence and out of your head always does seem to make you feel better. If you do see this, let me offer you a few words. I don’t know what it is you do but I can say that no matter how skilled or talented your underclassman may be, you will always have something that makes you individual. That no one else can match you on. You may not in this moment know exactly how to utilize it, but I promise you that you do and will shine bright among your friends.  
T”

Pressing submit Oikawa watched his response become a “Thank You for submitting” message before starting his homework while queuing up the most recent professional volleyball highlights.

\----

A few days and Oikawa found himself reading over the Dear Reader section hoping to find a response from this K. Hoping his words gave some sort of hope to them. After checking back for a week he finally found what he had been hoping for. A response.

“Dear T,  
I have to say I’m surprised that anyone actually took the time to respond or would even give me a second thought. It’s a nice feeling even if it’s just through a newspaper. Something along the lines of kindred spirits. You did brighten up my day, I’ve been thinking about what you wrote for the last week. I think you’re right, there are things I can do that others can’t. I just need to keep working hard and soon enough I’ll shine like my talented underclassmen. I feel refreshed! Thank you.  
K”

Oikawa found himself grinning at the response. Quickly he cut it out again and got ready to write a response again. He hoped he could keep this going, secret pen pals. Something he would keep to himself, even Iwaizumi would be unaware. A secret that the whole of Miyagi could watch. 

Settling down again Oikawa prepared his next response.

\----

Back and forth the anonymous friends would send responses. It went from giving one another support to telling the other a funny story. No names were ever shared, just vague statements of ‘my friends’ would make Oikawa laugh. Every response got cut out and put with the others tucked in a notebook in his nightstand. On sleepless nights when his thoughts were consumed by the upcoming competition he would read through the, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

The day before the Spring High tournament he was flipping through the paper hoping to see one more note form K. There was one, although very short it made Oikawa tense as his breath caught.

“Dear T,  
This will be my last response for a few days, hopefully longer. I’m ready to take my chance and make my impact! I’ll take my spot on the court and take us to the top! Thank you for all the supportive words. It’s helped me get stronger.  
K”

He read it over and over. His mind racing too fast, the words not processing. On the court. Slowly he cut this last message out. Knowing he had no intention of responding this time. He’d never asked what club the other was a part of, neither said anything to give anything clear away. Maybe, he thought to himself, it could be a girls volleyball player. It would be just his luck, were it to be someone he would compete against.

He sat back in his bed, tossing a volleyball up repeatedly getting lost in the rhythm being as gentle as he could. Hours seemingly passed in minutes, his phone rang startling him. Volleyball dropped and he watched it bouncing across his floor before turning his attention to the phone. A picture of Iwaizumi took up the screen. Oikawa debated ignoring the call knowing it would annoy the hell out of Iwaizumi. He picked up.

“Oh hello Iwa-chan.” Dragging out the name with a sing-song voice. “What can I help you with today?”

“Idiot, what are you still doing up?” Oikawa could feel the annoyance through the phone.

“Maybe I was getting my beauty rest before your call rudely woke me up? How could you.”

“Shut it Oikawa, I know you weren’t sleeping. You’re thinking about tomorrow too.” Iwaizumi’s voice was serious. “I’m making sure you actually sleep so you don’t mess up and make us lose because you’re sleep deprived.”

Oikawa stayed quiet for a moment. “Yeah, you know I refuse to mess up. We’re going to nationals together Iwa-chan. I promise you.”

“We’re going to crush them all.” Iwaizumi was serious. “We have the best setter around.”

“Who are you and what have you done to Iwaizumi? Saying nice things about me? Incredible, you must be really nervous!” Oikawa grinned into the phone, glad of the distance so he couldn’t get hit.

“I take it all back Shittykawa, you’re terrible.” He could tell Iwa was smiling. “Now go to bed you idiot. We have a long road ahead of us.”  
“Yeah, we’re going to the top this year.” Oikawa lowered his voice. “Good night Hajime.”

“Good night Tooru.” With that the line went dead. Taking a few deep breaths Oikawa settled himself down for the night.

Whether or not this K was someone he would be against didn’t matter. He would crush them all. He would show them all how strong Seijoh really was.

\----

The first day of games went by without much trouble, having previously qualified they faced one less game than some other teams. The match against Dewaichi went by with Seijoh winning in two straight sets. The team watched some other matches, deciding to see who they would be against next. 

Looking down at the court they knew their next rivals. Date Tech, the Iron Wall. Again Oikawa wasn’t expecting too much competition with their third years off the team, the wall was less daunting.

The rest of the first day went by quickly, teams all preparing for the next day and those who had lost packing up their things to return home. Their year was over.

The only thing Oikawa could have done without was running into Ushijima, annoyance prickled under his skin. He was ready to tear through anyone that got in his way just to crush him. Prove that he didn’t need the name of a great school behind him.

The second day came.

The match against Date Tech felt like nothing, Oikawa felt great and the team was working well together. Kyotani was fired up, a weapon Karasuno was unaware of. Oikawa looked over at his team, warm pride filled his chest. This would be time time.

This time they would make it.

Nationals.

\----

Oikawa loved and hated playing Karasuno, the always shifting team made it harder to keep them under control. But he could push the pace, he could pressure Tobio, make him rush, overthink until he was the one ruining his own team's rhythm. 

The charge of Kyotani threw them off, a wild card that Karasuno couldn’t predict. Oikawa loved playing, setting his spikers up for success, knowing exactly what they needed and being able to make them shine.

As the sets went on Oikawa kept his desperation to win to himself. He knew Iwaizumi could tell, he felt the same energy from his best friend. They would do this together.

One thing Oikawa hadn’t planned on was how Karasuno’s third year setter would change the team. Sugawara was it? In a way he felt bad for the benched third year. The only one of his year who wasn't a starter. Curse him for getting them back on their feet. They should call him Mr. Refreshing.

Refreshing.

What about that word seemed so familiar? Why did it stick with him?

Oikawa left the thoughts behind. It was almost the end of the third set. They had to get it. The rallies began to feel like forever. Karasuno was at set point. He couldn’t let this go.

The receive that was so off set Oikawa in motion, his instincts so perfectly honed over years of practice made his move. He followed the ball, knowing the set was a risk. Raising a finger he pointed towards Iwasizumi, eyes locked and fate would decide what happened next. A cross court set. He would still make it perfect. Fingers touching the ball only for an instant before he sent it flying.

The spike was perfect, Karasuno struggled to receive it. Oikawa tried to get his feet under him, flinching at the strain on his knee. None of it mattered. He had to stop them. He was ready. 

The freak quick, Oikawa knew exactly where it was going and what Tobio would do. He watched Hinata spike it, he was positioned for a perfect receive. In that moment he could feel fate laughing at him. All the letters, the signed K, the ball hitting KIndaichi’s fingers. In that moment everything connected in the wrong ways.

The ball hit his arms. He felt it reflect wrong. Everything was set up perfectly. Yet he still lost.

Karasuno celebrated. Aoba Johsai was silent. There went the last chance.

\----

Oikawa stayed behind in the locker room, promising to catch up later. It was empty now, most teams had finished up and left for the day. He had the water running but made no move to use it as he stared into the mirror. Crumpled newspaper clippings in his hand. The door slowly swung open. Oikawa cast a glance in the direction of the movement and found himself looking at Sugawara Koushi. Who at first didn’t notice him, Sugawara seemed to be looking for something.

Oikawa shut off the water and shoved the papers in his pocket. The sound of the water turning off made the man who just came in realize he wasn’t alone.

A tense silence filled the air as the two setters looked at each other. Oikawa’s stare was blank, Sugawara’s was bright but there was sadness in his eyes.

“Oikawa,” Sugawara spoke quietly, “That last set you did was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. How you get your team to wholeheartedly trust you is an impressive skill.”

Oikawa stayed silent, surprised by the compliment.

“Ah I’m sorry. You probably don’t want to hear anything from me.” Sugawara rubbed at a pink mark on his forehead. Probably from the hit he received to his face at the end. “I just lost my notebook and I think I left it in here.”

The silvered haired man fully walked into the locker room and began searching for his lost book.

“What does it look like?” Oikawa found himself asking, eyes following the other around. “I’ll help look.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that.”

“What does it look like?” He repeated himself.

Sugawara smiled at it. It was the warmest smile he had ever seen. “It’s white with bird silhouettes on it. Just a little book.”

Oikawa nodded and began to look around. The two searched in silence until he saw something tucked under a bench. Crouching down he grabs at a small white notebook with bird silhouettes on it.

Right as he’s going to call out that he found it a small slip of paper falls out. Wanting to be a little petty in his defeat Oikawa decided to read it. 

He immediately regretted it.

It was a newspaper clipping. One that responded to the many he had in his own pockets.

“You have got to be kidding me.” He didn’t mean to say it out loud but the words slipped out. Just another defeat.

“Did you find something?” Sugawara wandered over to see Oikawa kneeling, holding the notebook in one hand and the clipping in the other. “Oh,” Sugawara gave an embarrassed laugh. “Having clippings like that are pretty embarrassing aren’t they? I thought I could get away with nobody knowing about those.”

“The universe is laughing at me.” Oikawa gave a bark of laughter, ignoring the other completely. “Here I’ve been giving my competition advice the whole time.”

Sugawara froze momentarily. “Wait, it was you responding to me?”

Oikawa weakly nodded before standing up, only to slump back down on the bench. “And now I’ll never get to kick Ushijima’s ass.”

Sugawara sat down next to him. “It’s hard to think that someone like you has ever felt replaced. You’re pretty amazing.”

“It was once in middle school. It was my last year, I wasn’t doing well in a game. Just an off day. They swapped me out for Tobio. I got to watch him finish the game, and be so naturally talented. I was livid.” Oikawa looked out the side of his eye at Sugawara. “I then decided to be so reliable there wouldn’t be any reason to switch me out.”

Sugawara smiled again, the same warm smile. “You’re amazing to watch. You have such perfect control on everything you do.” The smile fell away. “I could practice everyday non stop and I would never be a full match for you or Kageyama. But, because of you and your responses, I realized there’s more than just talent. It made me want to fight for every moment I get on the court.”

Oikawa smiled. “Don’t let Tobio beat you.”

Sugawara’s laugh rang through the empty locker room. “I won’t.”

A comfortable silence fell between them. “Hey Oikawa?”

“Hm?”

“I can’t wait to see what amazing things you do in the future.”

Oikawa leaned forward resting his arms on his knees. “Oh I’ll crush little Tobio and Uishijima one day. And it’ll be great.” He felt a hand on his back.

“I can’t wait to watch.” Sugawara held his hand in place for a moment. “Oh! Wait,” He dug his phone out of his pocket. “Add yourself!”

Oikawa raised an eyebrow.

“Well I enjoyed talking to you through the paper. I was thinking we could keep doing that.” Sugawara shifted uncomfortably. “If you’re okay with that?”

Oikaway took his phone, quickly put in his information and snapped a selfie for a contact picture. “Now you can also see my perfect face and know I’ll always be the best.”

Sugawara grinned. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He sent a quick text to Oikawa to fully exchange numbers. “Though let’s not just talk about volleyball, I want to know more about you.” He stood up grabbing his notebook and gave a little wave. “Talk to you later T!” With a little wink he was gone.

Oikawa stayed sitting on the bench a little longer, his bruised pride feeling a little less sore after everything. He looked to his phone to see what text Sugawara had sent him. 

Thank you.

Was all the text said, as he was going to lock his phone an image went through. It was a selfie of Sugawara smiling brightly holding up a peace sign.

Something cute for you to look at.

Oikawa laughed. 

Maybe there was more to this than two setters benched by the same first year.

Sugawara had his attention.


End file.
